Russian forces have installed a puppet local government in the southern city of Enerhodar along the Dnieper River as well as the surrounding Zaporizhya region, local officials are claiming. The "government" is staging elections to replace the legitimately chosen representatives with Russian loyalists.

After taking a month to capture Enerhodar, a self-proclaimed "Public Council of Self-Governance" gathered in the city's town square on April 6 and unanimously elected Andriy Shevchik, a city councilman who represented a pro-Russian party.

"After being 'elected,' Shevchik 'fired' Dmitry Orlov, the democratically elected mayor of the town, as well as all other members of the local executive government," according to a statement from Enerhoatom, an agency that manages the nearby nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.

A day later, the local office of Ukrtelekom, a Ukrainian telephone monopoly, reportedly was raided, and necessary equipment to provide cellular service and internet access was stolen, a local news channel reported.

"The city might be left without any internet or phone service," the station said.

Six days after the "public council" assumed power, Ukraine's Zaporizhya Regional Military Administration claimed that businesses were not allowed to operate without expressed permission from the new government. Additionally, local media outlets were restricted in what they could and could not report about the war, and the outskirts of the city were fortified in case of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.

"The occupiers are also carrying out raids of municipal service organizations to find men of conscription age and force them to enlist," the report said. "The occupiers are creating detachments of the so-called 'people's militia' with Ukrainian police, using intimidation and threats against them and their families."

The General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine claims intimidation is becoming increasingly common, such as the case it said included the wife of a Ukrainian soldier who was abducted and threatened.

"There are many reports of Russian abductions of local law enforcement officers," added the General Prosecutor's Office.

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